Dressing gowns were specialized garments worn before a woman dressed. Many styles were modestly designed from plain white fabrics with subtle trimming. Although dressing gowns were only worn in privacy, they usually followed the fashionable silhouette. This example features the full sleeves and smocked waist seen on dresses from the early 1840s.

Object Number: U.862

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
Seventh Avenue at 27 Street
New York City 10001-5992